2005 Hurricanes Katrina and Rita
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, at the time they occurred, were the first and fourth largest natural disasters to have hit the United States. EDEN was by then a fully formed national network, and provided excellent support to the states that were reeling in the aftermath of these catastrophic events.
This page captures some of the ways EDEN utilized its web site to help Extension across the country help Extension in the impacted states in the early days of recovery. The sections below, and the associated "Road to Recovery" page, are examples of some specific Extension-to-Extension activity that was supported by the Web site. In additon to these web-based activities, EDEN held meetings and conference calls in which EDEN delegates in the impacted states could share their experiences and seek guidance or other forms of assistance, and EDEN could learn how it could help its members.
Testimonials to the work of Extension and to EDEN's role are found also in a pair of USDA Partners videos, which can be found on this USDA web site.
We make these archived page available for is possible use as a guide to future recovery activities, even though some links on the pages may no longer function.
Creating Resource Guides for Evacuees
EDEN produced resource guides for the three states most severely impacted by Katrina and Rita, compiling resources from each state and designing a cover page to go with each one. In general, the introductory text read as shown below for Texas:
"If your community is housing evacuees from [Texas] due to Hurricane [Rita], there is information these displaced persons need to know if they plan to return home.
"Below are a number of resources provided by [Texas] Extension that will be helpful in the transition. You are encouraged to print off some or all of these resources and create a hard copy package to be handed out to those who plan to return to their home/property. A cover page is available in the left-hand column for you to download and place on top of the information package."
-
TEXAS Hurricane Resources
-
-
The three resource guides are still available on the Purdue (EDEN Communications) web stie.
Determining and Meeting Extension Needs
EDEN asked what was needed by Extension in the impacted states and posted the responses on this issues page.
Do you have specific needs as a result of hurricanes Katrina and Rita? Please send them to Abigail Borron at aborron@purdue.edu or call her at 765-494-4390. Be sure to include enough detail, as well as your name and contact information.
Some of the immediate programming needs relate to:
-
-
Trauma
-
How to assemble documentation to apply for FEMA and SBA assistance (if the states provide relief funds, North Carolina has a web-based program that was used this last year that could be a starting point for a state program.)
-
Financial management for recipients of FEMA and SBA and other financial assistance
-
Food safety issues
-
Drinking water safety, well decontamination, etc.
-
-
Use of charcoal and gas grills indoors
-
Household mold and moisture issues
-
-
Animal feed/hay, shelters, disposal
-
Generator safety and use
Requests from Affected States:
Mississippi
-
In need of ready-to-use first aid kits for shelters and people on the coast. Contact: Jane Clary (Mississippi State Univ.), Associate Extension Professor, Dept. of Food Science, Nutrition, and Health Promotion. Email:
jclary@humansci.msstate.edu
Issuing Requests for Resources
EDEN asked - and shared answers: Do you have available resources (specifically Web-based educational materials that have been helpful for you in the past) that can be utilized in the recovery phases of these hurricanes? Please send them to Abigail Borron at aborron@purdue.edu or call her at 765-494-4390. Be sure to include a URL if applicable, or how your resource can be attained.
Expertise Offered through EDEN
Do you have an educational expertise that could be utilized in the recovery phases of these hurricanes? Please send a description, along with your name and contact information to Abigail Borron at aborron@purdue.edu or call her at 765-494-4390. (Note: If you are interested in volunteering labor efforts, please see EDEN's section on Donations and Volunteering).
Available Courses
- Health Care Facilities - Contact: Heather Dorr (University of Minnesota) - College of Continuing Education. Email: hdorr@cce.umn.edu; Phone: 612-625-5267
Agricultural Meteorology
- Tom Priddy (University of Kentucky - Ag. Weather Center) - Ag. Weather Specialist. Email: priddy@uky.edu; Phone: 859-257-3000 ext. 245; Cell Phone: 859-327-9119
Engineering / Construction
- David M. Crohn (University of California, Riverside) - agricultural engineer with expertise in solid waste management, composting municipal wastes, land application of wastes, and wetlands used for treating wastewater; Department of Environmental Sciences. Email: David.Crohn@ucr.edu; Phone: 951-827-3333
- Michael Goldschmidt (University of Missouri) - Housing and Environmental Design Extension Specialist. Email: goldschmidtm@missouri.edu; Phone: 573-884-0905
- Ken Hellevang (North Dakota State University) - Ag and Biosystems Engineering. Email: kjh-eng@ndsuext.nodak.edu; Phone: 701-231-7243
- Wendell Porter (University of Florida) - Resource efficient construction in hot-humid climates; Agricultural & Biological Engineering. Email: waporter@ifas.ufl.edu; Phone: 352-392-1864 ext. 187
- Ted Funk (University of Illinois) - Extension Specialist - Agricultural Engineering. Email: funkt@uiuc.edu; Phone: 217-333-9313
Family & Children
- Caroline Crocoll (CSREES-USDA) - National Program Leader, Family and Human Development. Email: ccrocoll@csrees.usda.gov; Phone: 202-720-4795
- Karen DeBord (North Caroline State University) - State specialist, Child Development. Email: karen_debord@ncsu.edu; Phone: 919-515-9147
- Anna-Mae Kobbe (CSREES-USDA) - Director, Family Consumer Sciences and Nutrition. Email: akobbe@csrees.usda.gov; Phone: 202-720-2920
- Lawrence Shelton (University of Vermont) - Human Development and Family Studies. Email: Lawrence.Shelton@uvm.edu; Phone: 802-656-2008
- Wayne Matthews (NC Cooperativve Extension) - Human Development Specialist. Email: Wayne_Matthews@ncsu.edu; Phone: 919-515-9139
Flood Assessment and Cleanup
- Ted Funk (Univ. of Illinois) - A licensed professional engineer and experienced to advise in dead animal disposal; Agricultural Engineering. Email: funkt@uiuc.edu; Phone: 217-333-9313
Food Safety / Food Processing
- Kristin Woods-Williams (Alabama Cooperative Extension) - Food Safety, Preparation, and Preservation. Email: woodskl@auburn.edu; Phone: 251-275-3121
Housing and Environment
ICS / Emergency Management
- Mark Hansen (Michigan State University Extension) - Emergency Management and Wildfire Specialist. Has active military experience specializing in supply and property books. Email: hansenm@msu.edu; Phone: 517-432-7696
Mold & Moisture
- Catherine Burwell (Purdue Extension) - Extension IRB and Reporting Coordinator. Email: ceb@purdue.edu; Phone: 765-494-7795
- Ted Funk (University of Illinois) - Extension Specialist - Agricultural Engineering. Email: funkt@uiuc.edu; Phone: 217-333-9313
- Janie Harris (Texas Cooperative Extension) - Housing and Environment. Email: jl-harris@tamu.edu; Phone: 979-847-8865
- Ken Hellevang (North Dakota State University) - Ag and Biosystems Engineering. Email: kjh-eng@ndsuext.nodak.edu; Phone: 701-231-7243
- Kendra Moyses (Michigan State University Extension) - Associate Program Leader. Email: kmoyses@msu.edu; Phone: 517-432-7654
- Shirley Niemeyer (University of Nebraska) - Extension Specialist/Research. Email: sniemeyer@unlnotes.unl.edu; Phone: 402-472-6319
Post-Disaster Community Development and Planning
- Peter Marshall (West Virginia Extension Service Community Resource and Economic Development) Community Development and Planning Specialist. E-mail hpmarshall@wvu.edu; Phone 304-293-6967 ext 3427
Last Updated:10/5/2009 12:59 PM